Left Behind
by momiji-k
Summary: Her eyes welled up with tears as she read the words that were scribbled on the sheet of paper. How could he leave her behind like that? Based on the events of manga chapter 416. MAJOR SPOILERS.


Her eyes welled up with tears as she read the words that were scribbled on the sheet of paper. Why? How? How could he just up and leave her behind like that? The tears just wouldn't stop as she ran out the door and into the street hoping to find a trace of them before they, before he disappeared from her life.

The street in front of her home was quiet, she wildly looked around and could not see a sign of which direction Natsu and Happy had gone. She paused for only a moment to decide which direction to take. They had to walk in one of these directions, but which one? Not sure where they were headed Lucy decided to head towards the train station. If they were headed far away they would have no choice but to take the train, even with Natsu's dislike for it.

Out of breath Lucy arrived at the train station and quickly surveyed the area. Nothing. No sign of Natsu nor Happy. Not at the station, not on the train that was still boarding, nowhere. Lucy fought back the tears that were still welling up in her eyes. She looked everywhere in the area, not wanting to give up.

"Natsu". Lucy whispered through her tears. "Why did you leave me behind?"

Heading to what remained of the guildhall Lucy hoped that she might find Wendy or Gajeel still hanging around. Maybe they would help her look using their dragon senses. Much to her surprise many guild members were still hanging around, likely because they didn't really have any where else to go. Before she even approached the group everyone could sense something was wrong.

"Lucy?" Wendy had that questioning tone in her voice.

Mira Jane rushed to Lucy's side. "What's wrong?" She knew immediately something had happened.

Lucy tried to act composed, that lasted for about half a second. The tears came spilling out, no longer able to control them. She tried to speak clearly but she just couldn't override the sobs. "He… Natsu's gone." She couldn't get any more words to come as she fell down on her knees to the ground. At those words Gajeel cracked an eye open and looked over to see what was going on. Levy quickly made her way over as she realized there was a commotion and her best friend was in the middle of it. Mira bent down to comfort Lucy. "What do you mean Natsu's gone?"

Lucy sucked some air in between sobs, calming down a little now so she could speak properly. "He left a letter on my table, he and Happy have gone on a training journey."

Mira gave Lucy a reassuring smile. "There, there, I am sure they won't be gone too long."

"He said he would be back…" Lucy tried to stop herself from outright wailing this time. Sucking in another breath through sobs. "They'll be back in a year or so. He wanted me to tell everyone he said goodbye" She just let it all out . Her body shook uncontrollably and then it became clear. Clear to Lucy, clear to everyone who was there. Although everyone in the guild was family to Lucy, Natsu was her _everything_.

Mira's expression quickly changed, she looked like someone had just slapped her. When it sunk in she knew if Natsu was standing in front of her she certainly would have slapped him. How could he? Was he really that dense? Didn't he realize how much it would hurt everyone for him to just leave like that? She unintentionally gave Lucy a sympathetic look. Didn't he realize how much this would hurt Lucy?

Levy stood in disbelief as she looked on at the scene playing out before her eyes. She couldn't imagine how much Lucy hurt right now. Just last week she had lost one of her dear celestial spirits. Someone she had known all of her life was suddenly gone, forever. The guild had been destroyed and everyone was struggling to go back to the way things were. What a time to just up and leave. Natsu didn't like to see Lucy cry. Did he think she wouldn't cry when he left like that? What an idiot!

Levy was about to approach Lucy when the master was suddenly right beside her. "Lucy. I know the road you have traveled has not been an easy one. I understand the sadness and loneliness you are feeling right now is overwhelming. I'm sure the only thought in Natsu's empty head was to get stronger to protect you and everyone he loves." Then Makarov let out a sigh. "It's time." There was a slight pause before he continued. "Everyone is choosing their own path, it's time for all my brats to spread their wings and fly." At that he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"It's up to each one of you to figure out where this road leads. This era has come to an end. Fairy Tail is disbanded. I know you will all be just fine, you were all raised by the best family there ever was. Fairy Tail will always be a part of you so don't be sad as you hold your head high on the next part of your journey." With that the master gave everyone a reassuring look and then walked away.

Tears continued to stream down Lucy's face but she had grown completely silent. She couldn't believe this. What kind of pep talk was that! Could things get any worse at this point? Hoping for some source of a miracle, instead her entire world had just been destroyed. In just one after-noon everything she had loved was gone. Well almost everything. She still had her remaining celestial spirits, her hand clutched the keys to her side in comfort.

Everyone just stared at each other in disbelief; no one dared say a word. No one knew what words were the right ones to say at that moment. Levy was the one to break the silence. "Lu-chan." Her voice was laced with sadness, sadness for her friend, sadness for all of them. How could Fairy Tail be no more? After all that had happened and all they had struggled through. How could it come to this? She crouched down and put her arms around her friend giving her a forceful hug. "Fairy Tail is just a name, we still have each other even if we don't have a guildhall, ne?"

Lucy's eyes met Levy's. Her voice was quiet and tired. "Your right. You'll still be here, won't you?" She looked at Levy for some reassurance as she drew her arm across her face to wipe away the tears. "When the sun comes up tomorrow you'll still be here, right?"

Levy shook her head enthusiastically. "I will! Let's do something fun tomorrow Lu-chan!"

"Ok!" Lucy nodded her head and gave Levy the brightest smile she could muster. With that she stood and turned towards home. She tuned the whole world out at that moment, afraid that the voices and faces of her guild mates, her friends would cause a relapse of tears. If she could just make it home, if she could just make it there, maybe everything would be alright.

Slowly, she opened the door moving as if to find someone already there. With a heavy heart she closed the door behind her and leaned her back against it, taking in the dark, quiet room. "Natsu" Lucy could feel the tears falling freely again. She slid down the door and wrapped her arms around her legs pulling her knees to her face. "It hasn't even been one day and I'm already so lonely. I want to see that big dopy grin of yours." Lucy was alone. She had been left behind. Maybe tomorrow she could move forward, but for now all she could do was cry.

**Author's Notes:**

So, here it is. The first thing I have written or posted in years. I've been so into Fairy Tail lately I've just felt this need to write about it. This last chapter was last straw and I just had to write something. The chapter was both amazing and depressing. There were some great things in there but I am so mad at Natsu! How could he leave Lucy behind like that? I really do feel like Natsu is everything to Lucy. He brought her to her new home, has saved her life time and again, comforted her when she cried, was there when she needed someone. Since the day she met him he's been there, always! Poor Lucy, my heart always goes out to her. Her life has been filled with so much pain when it comes to family and loved ones. I really hope there will be a happy ending to the manga but sometimes I"m just not sure where it's headed. I hope to write more Fairy Tail stories. Thank you for reading and please leave me a review so I can improve my writing.


End file.
